The “Next man up” has become a common theme of this year’s Flyers team. On Thursday afternoon, the Flyers announced 30-year-old winger James van Riemsdyk will miss approximately 4-6 weeks with a broken finger. Van Riemsdyk has been a good player for the Flyers this season, with 19 goals and 40 points in 66 games this season. He has also been better defensively this year, “I’ve always prided myself on my 200-foot game,” said Van Riemsdyk after practice. That’s been obvious as he’s been good on both ends of the ice this season. His presence will be missed at both even strength and on the Power-Play, as he is a big part of Coach Michel Therrien’s second unit. Van Riemsdyk has also been in the middle of a playoff push before, and his veteran experience and leadership will be missed during his absence. With such a young team, the Flyers will now rely heavier on veterans like Kevin Hayes, Jakub Voracek, and Claude Giroux.
The Flyers also announced that they have recalled forward Joel Farabee from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Farabee was sent down at the trade deadline after the moves to acquire Derek Grant and Nate Thompson. Farabee will see minutes on the second line with Hayes and winger Travis Konecny. Some fans were upset with this change, as Scott Laughton finds himself on the third line. Laughton has been on fire recently and his former linemates in Konecny and Hayes were a big boost to his production. The changed lines does not mean it’s a demotion for Laughton. It is clear that Laughton will still receive sufficient ice time, playing 16:01 Thursday night. Farabee was likely put on a line with Hayes and Konecny for familiarity sake, beings as all three players have played together at some point this season. This line will still be effective, as Farabee is capable of playing both a skilled and gritty game similarly to Laughton.
For the Flyers to continue winning without JvR, they will need to be consistent throughout change. This certainly will not be the last time this season a Flyer misses a game or two to injury, so the team will need to be able to find line chemistry on the fly. Thankfully, with leaders like Head Coach Alain Vigneault, there is a very good chance the Flyers will continue their success to the playoffs. This was shown Thursday night, as the Flyers beat their rivals the Carolina Hurricanes 4-1.
